Sir, – Attributing Jonathan Pollard’s life sentence to his
interview with The Jerusalem Post is surely misleading, despite the newly
revealed CIA files (“CIA: Pollard got life sentence due to ‘Post’ interview,”
December 17).

Pollard is languishing in prison as a stark warning to
American Jews who have attained sensitive positions in the US government: Right
or wrong, legal or not, toe the government line vis-à-vis Israel or the
consequences will be enormous.

CHAIM A. ABRAMOWITZ Jerusalem

On
pejoratives

Sir, – I misheard Avigdor Liberman (“Liberman says he’s sorry for
‘veibers’ comment: I’ll sit in the dark and think about what I did,” December
17).

I thought he said “vipers,” which would have been more appropriate
for Tzipi Livni and Zehava Gal-On in light of their vicious attacks on Israeli
policy in the overseas media.

In any event, both have said far worse
things about Liberman.

LOUIS GARB Jerusalem

Sir, – Reader R.G. Goodriche
(“No pejoratives,” Letters, December 17) takes exception to the term “goyim,”
whose use he says is to be “resented and deplored.”

“Goyim” simply means
“people.”

I would maintain that it is the manner in which the word is
employed, whether with a sneer or in a derisory manner. Context is
everything.

Of all the social diseases to affect us during the past 50
years, none has been so insidious as the cancer we describe as “political
correctness.” Political correctness makes cowards of us all.

STANLEY
COHEN Jerusalem

End of an era

Sir, – Even though I knew it was coming, the news
about Bikur Cholim made me very sad (“Shaare Zedek in Jerusalem gets final nod
to run city’s failing Bikur Cholim Hospital,” December 17).

Our
organization, Friends of Bikur Cholim Hospital, ran the gift shop there for well
over 30 years.

We all remember when it was a thriving hospital. We bought
much of the equipment it couldn’t afford.

At least many departments will
still be open there, even though they will be run by Shaare Zedek.

It’s a
shame that many of the workers will not be receiving their full
pensions.

We will miss the wonderful people involved with Bikur Cholim
and wish Shaare Zedek the best in taking over the hospital. A wonderful era has
sadly ended.

HANNAH SONDHELM Jerusalem The writer is a past-president of
Friends of Bikur Cholim Hospital

Policy that unites

Sir, – I find it difficult
to understand the logic – if there is any – In “Enlisting haredim divides the
nation” (Comment & Features, December 17). I should think just the opposite
is true. Not enlisting haredim divides the nation. Most people I know (not
haredim) feel just that.

Why should haredim not take part in defending
our nation? There is no good reason for this absurd situation. Most young
non-haredi men join the army, most of them gladly. It is unfair to those who
enlist.

So it’s good that, at last, there is a trend toward coopting
young haredi men. Let’s hope it gets even stronger. I believe even they share
this view.LEONARD ZURAKOV Netanya

Shoah continued

Sir, – With regard to
“Two Herzogs’ views differ on the relevance of the Holocaust” (Comment &
Features, December 17), the current debate over whether the European Union’s
actions echo the Holocaust misses the point.

The behavior of Europe is
not Shoah redux. It is simply Shoah continued, just as the Holocaust itself was
merely the most glorious moment in a 2,000-year history of European
Jew-hatred.

D-Day hardly eliminated the virus of anti-Semitism, even if
it appeared somewhat dormant for a few decades. After all, the Final Solution
remains unfinished business, and Israel offers the convenience of having most
Jews already pre-assembled for the next chapter.

Indeed, Europe was and
remains pretty unanimous in its desire to rid the world of Jews.

Germany
took the lead by having the initiative and technology.

Eastern Europe,
central Europe and western Europe were willing accomplices. And England,
entrusted with the mandate for a Jewish national homeland, barred the doors to
our only viable sanctuary.

Little has really changed except that now
there is a critical mass of Jewish collaborators. Likely this is because the
remnants of secular European Jews are hoping their complicity will somehow spare
them. In this they are pathetically misguided.

We in Israel have little
to fear so long as we can stare evil in the face and not blink, lest we
ourselves become complicit in the suicidal venality of appeasement.J.J.
GROSS Jerusalem

Bad impression

Sir,– Reader Chaim Ginsberg (“Rules of
engagement,” Letters, December 17) writes of his shame at how our soldiers were
directed to run away from Arabs throwing rocks. He makes the point that rocks
are weapons and should be responded to as such.

Such a restriction on
military responses gives the impression that our soldiers are weak and cowardly.
It is not seen as the humanitarian gesture it is meant to be. This emboldens the
Palestinians and makes a real-life difference on the battlefield.

When
our state was young our soldiers responded to attacks immediately and seriously,
and the message to the opposing forces was loud and clear. We were feared and
respected, and enjoyed some relative peace and quiet.

Today there is no
safe area anywhere in the country, and everyone suffers from a constant
undercurrent of stress. Is it any wonder that so many of our citizens,
especially our children and young people, exhibit anti-social behavior and other
psychological disturbances? For this alone we should do what is necessary to
bring life back to normal.DEENA SPIGELMAN Jerusalem

What do you want?

Sir, – What is it that the citizens and leaders of Israel want? Do you want to
annex the West Bank? Is that the ultimate solution? What if Hamas, as the
Palestinian Authority has already done, recognized the permanent State of
Israel? What if the Palestinians gave Israel all their weapons? What would
Israel do in return? Would it do anything? What could the Palestinians expect in
return? Do not beg off with, “Oh, that will never happen.” What would Israel’s
response be? It is a fair question. You should tell Palestinians what they would
get in return for such an action. Perhaps the response would convince them to
actually lay down their arms.

ROBERT STEINER Lenoir, North Carolina

Just
grow up

Sir, – When will the world’s leaders, of all persuasions and ideologies,
grow up and stop playing roulette with mankind and the world we live in so
perilously? They must finally realize that their duty in this new millennium is
to bring peace to their people and all of humanity, and an end to the sorry,
blood-soaked course of human history.

The only sane ideology is the
welfare of mankind and its constituent individuals, who can say only this to
their leaders: To hell with your missiles and atom bombs, your bullets and your
blind hatreds, which will eventually lead us to the hell of extinction. We, the
millions of decent, peace-loving human beings suffering from your blind neglect
and power-thirst, call on you to grow up and show real leadership so that we and
coming generations can at long last live in peace, and not under the constant
threat of war and extinction.